scoreless for nearly 5 minutes in the second half while Syracus

Handing Johnny Football a clipboard and baseball cap has worked out nicely for the Cleveland Browns.Rookie coach Mike Pettines decision to start Brian Hoyer instead of first-round pick Johnny Manziel wasnt popular among fans, but the Browns are 5-3 and in the mix in the AFC North.Hoyer has rebounded from knee surgery to put his hometown team in position to make a run at its first playoff appearance since 2002 and post only its second winning season in the last 12 years.Were doing a good job of finding ways to win, Browns four-time All-Pro tackle Joe Thomas said. Part of that is having a quarterback whos making the clutch throws.For picking Hoyer over Manziel, Pettine gets our vote for best coaching decision in the first half.Here are more unofficial, offbeat awards at midseason.WORST COACHING DECISIONRex Ryan sticking with Geno Smith after benching him at halftime of the New York Jets 31-0 loss to San Diego in Week 5. The Jets were 1-4 and Ryan couldve given Michael Vick a chance to rescue the season at that point. Instead, he gave Smith three more starts before pulling him against Buffalo on Oct. 26.BEST FREE-AGENT SIGNINGDenver signing four-time All-Pro DeMarcus Ware after he was cut by Dallas. Ware already has eight sacks, and has improved the run defence along with the pass rush.HonourablE MENTIONS: Wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. (Baltimore); cornerback Brandon Flowers (San Diego); wide receiver Brandon LaFell (New England); safety Malcolm Jenkins (Philadelphia).WORST FREE-AGENT SIGNINGDetroit signing kicker Alex Henery to replace rookie Nate Freese, who missed four of seven attempts in three games. Henery lasted two games, missing all three of his field-goal attempts in a 17-14 loss to Buffalo on Oct. 5. Freese, Henery and new Lions kicker Matt Prater are 3 for 13 from beyond 40 yards. David Akers was 7 for 10 from that distance for Detroit in 2013 but didnt get a contract offer.HonourablE MENTIONS: Offensive tackle Michael Oher (Tennessee); running back Maurice Jones-Drew and defensive end LaMarr Woodley (Oakland); running back Toby Gerhart (Jacksonville).BEST TRADEPhiladelphia acquiring running back Darren Sproles from New Orleans for a fifth-round pick. Sproles has 472 yards rushing and receiving and three TDs. He also has a punt return for a TD.WORST TRADESeattle received only a conditional pick from the Jets for wide receiver Percy Harvin after trading a 2013 first-round and seventh-round draft choices and a 2014 third-rounder to get him two years ago.BEST PLAYCALLSt. Louis coach Jeff Fisher called a fake punt on a 4th-and-3 from the Rams 18 with a 28-26 lead and 2:55 left in the game. Punter Johnny Hekker tossed an 18-yard pass to Benny Cunningham and the Rams upset Seattle.WORST PLAYCALLPhiladelphia coach Chip Kelly calling a run out of the shotgun formation on 3rd-and-inches from the Cardinals 2 in a tie game late in the fourth quarter. LeSean McCoy was stopped for no gain and the Eagles kicked a go-ahead field goal. Arizona answered with a 75-yard TD pass to win it.BEST PLAYSt. Louis returner Stedman Bailey had a 90-yard touchdown on a trick punt return that had the Seahawks thinking another player was going to field the punt. Tavon Austin drew most defenders to the opposite side of the field by staggering under the imaginary ball. That allowed Bailey a clear path down the sideline after fielding the punt across the field.WORST PLAYSan Franciscos Colin Kaepernick fumbling on a quarterback sneak at the goal line on the final play in a 13-10 loss to the Rams.BEST GAMEIn a Super Bowl rematch, the Seahawks again beat the Broncos but needed overtime to do it. Marshawn Lynchs 6-yard run gave Seattle a 26-20 win and prevented Peyton Manning from touching the ball in OT.WORST GAMETampa Bay trailed Atlanta 56-0 going into the fourth quarter of a 56-14 loss. The Buccaneers have five losses by less than a touchdown but two losses by a 104-31 margin.BEST PERFORMANCEPittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had 522 yards passing, 40 completions, and six touchdowns to help the Steelers beat Indianapolis 51-34.WORST PERFORMANCESmith tossing three interceptions on three straight series before getting yanked against the Bills.BEST COMEBACK PERFORMANCEJeremy Maclin returning from ACL surgery to lead the Eagles with 45 catches, 790 yards receiving and eight TDs.WORST COMEBACK PERFORMANCEMatt Schaub hasnt rejuvenated his career in Oakland. He couldnt beat out rookie Derek Carr in training camp and has thrown one pass for the winless Raiders.___AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.___AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_RobMaaddi Jalen McDaniels Jersey . The third baseman whipped the ball across the diamond to second baseman Aaron Hill. He quickly tossed it to shortstop Chris Owings, who flipped over his shoulder to left fielder Cody Ross. Glen Rice Hornets Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Wild getting Matt Moulson from Buffalo. The Wild Get: LW Matt Moulson and LW Cody McCormick. https://www.hornetslockerroom.com/Alonzo-Mourning-City-Edition-Jersey/ .C. -- Marcus Paige and his North Carolina teammates have endured so many wild swings -- big wins, surprising losses, NCAA drama -- that no one can blame their Hall of Fame coach for wondering whats next. Larry Johnson Hornets Jersey . CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (Pistons): Yes they got Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings in the off-season and Andre Drummond is a beast (teams are kicking themselves for passing on him - he rebounds and block shots every game - thats two more discernable and significant skills than most guys in his draft class), but dont for a second discount the impact of having a savvy veteran like Billups on your team. Charlotte Hornets Jerseys .The seventh-seeded Raonic was scheduled to play U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori of Japan, but was replaced in the Group B pool by Spanish substitute David Ferrer.Raonic, who was 0-2 at the year-end event, said he suffered the injury late in the first set of Tuesdays 6-3, 7-6 loss to Murray.COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Up by 12 points with just under six minutes left, No. 4 Syracuse appeared poised to secure an unusually easy victory. Not a chance. After letting the seemingly comfortable lead dwindle to a single point in the closing seconds, Syracuse squeezed past Maryland 57-55 on Monday to end a two-game losing streak. It was another close call for the Orange (26-2, 13-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), whose previous four games were decided by a total of 12 points. "Were in a lot of these games," coach Jim Boeheim said. "For the most part weve made good plays at the end of them, and thats why we are where we are. Were not overpowering too many people, I can promise you that." Syracuse led 51-39 with 5:45 left but allowed Maryland to close to 56-55 with 47 seconds remaining. After C.J. Fair missed a jumper for the Orange, Baye Moussa Keita blocked a driving layup by Nick Faust to keep Syracuse in front. "I thought Nick got fouled and the replay showed that," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. "Its been that type of year for us." Trevor Cooney was fouled and made one of two free throws with four seconds to go before Marylands Seth Allens off-balance shot bounded off the back of the rim as the buzzer sounded. Tyler Ennis scored 20 points and Fair had 17 to help Boeheim secure his 946th career victory. Like many of the previous ones during Syracuses first season in the ACC, this was not easy. "How many we played in the league now? Weve had one that wasnt close," Boeheim said. "This was the game we were most ahead of in all except two. This has been how weve played since the league started. We were actually ahead, which we probably werent used to." After opening the season with 25 straight wins, Syracuse dropped successive games to Boston College and Duke to lose its stature as the nations top-ranked team. Saturdays game at Duke was decided by a pivotal call in the final seconds that caused Boeheim to storm the court, receive two technical fouls and an automatic ejection. In this one, Boeheim was relatively calm on the sideline as the Orange forced 18 turnovers and limited Maryland (15-13, 7-8) to 35 per cent shooting. The coach took exception to Turgeons claim that Faust was fouled on his drive to the hoop. "They shot 27 free throws. If anybodys going to complain about the officiating, Im going to complaain," Boeheim said.dddddddddddd "If they didnt turn it over 18 times, they wouldnt have to worry about that." Syracuse finished the game without forward Jerami Grant, who hurt his back after making two baskets in 13 minutes. "It was a really big win for us," Ennis said. "We played without Jerami for the second half, which kind of hurt us, but I thought everybody that came in really stepped up." Including Fair, who went 8 for 17 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds. "This is definitely a big win. It mightve been the biggest win of the season so far," Fair said. "That game to break your losing streak is always like the hardest. Because youre so anxious and you want that game so bad that sometimes it can go bad for you." Allen scored 22 points for the Terps. He was 6 for 9 from beyond the arc, but his teammates combined to go 2 for 13. It was the first sellout of the season at Maryland, which does not have traditional rivals Duke or North Carolina on the home schedule during its final season in the ACC. "I think late we got stops," Allen said, "and you know the crowd got us into it, it kept us going." The crowd of 17,950 lost much of its enthusiasm during a stretch in which the Terrapins went scoreless for nearly 5 minutes in the second half while Syracuse upped its lead to double figures. Ennis, a 6-foot-2 freshman, made a three-pointer and two baskets in an 8-2 spree that put Syracuse up 42-30. After the Terps closed to 44-37, Michael Gbinije popped a 3, Faust botched a dunk on the other end and Ennis hit a jumper for a 49-37 lead. It barely held up. Syracuse shot 50 per cent and Ennis drilled a three-pointer just before the buzzer for a 32-24 halftime advantage. After a steal by Dez Wells set up a dunk by Charles Mitchell to put Maryland ahead 5-3, the Orange got four points apiece from Fair and Grant in a 15-3 run that made it 18-8. At that point, Syracuse was 8 for 12 from the field and the Terrapins were 3 for 13. A three-pointer by Allen capped a 9-2 spurt that got Maryland to 20-17 before the Orange rattled off three straight baskets. The Terrapins were still in it, though, despite missing 12 of 17 shots and committing nine turnovers. With 4:55 left, Fair picked up his third foul and hit the bench for the remainder of the half after scoring 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting. ' ' '